Mmmmm… Couple of odd statements there, Manitas, though I wouldn't disagree with the last sentence at all!

motorists have to share the roads with pedestrians who have an absolute right to use them

Historically motor vehicles are the interlopers on our roads

Regarding the first, first define 'road'. The vast majority of roads in London comprise two pavements either side of a strip (of varying width) of tarmac (actually it's not, but we'll get to that in a sec!). So what are you saying? That pedestrians have a right to walk down the middle of the road? That motor vehicles are allowed to drive on the pavement? If memory serves (I may be wrong), the Highway Code says that a pedestrian in the road (i.e. on the tarmac) has right of way i.e. you can't drive over them. That doesn't equate to a right to stand in the middle of the road, stopping the traffic. And you could just as validly state that pedestrians, like cyclists, are not currently required to prove any competence, which puts a slightly different emphasis on things.

As for the second, again define 'road'. When did a road become a road, historically speaking? Going back to the moped / scooter discussion, sort of... Macadam was pioneered around 1820, tarmacadam was patented in 1902, what we actually drive on these days, apparently, is asphalt concrete. In 1820, there was no real conception of rights, but there would have been horsemen & stagecoachs whizzing around. Both are quite capable of doing serious damage to a pedestrian, up to & including fatality (think Emily Davison under the King's horse at the Epsom Derby). If motor vehicles hadn't increased in number & capability, would anyone have felt a need to invent asphalt concrete? It's an interesting idea to consider, but I'm not sure what you want to convey in the 'historical interloper' notion.